A fog rolled in, quietly slithering in low to the ground, imperceptible at first until it was too late to escape the chill soup.

It’s not You, it’s the It!

What the…? Do you even know what you’re talking about?

It! It’s the It, man! You’ve got it, and typically, we’ve all got it in some way, shape, or form. The beautiful thing about it though, is that It isn’t You. It just is what it is.

You, on the other hand, are the pure seed of creation seeking out its fullest potential through growth. Trouble is, you spend so much time in an imperfect world taking the hits that life throws at you, that you don’t even realize that you’re experiencing wounds and stunted areas you perceive as your imperfections. People own it as a life sentence instead of seeing their opportunities!

——-

Tell a story, or just write? Stalled by what I thought might be a clever devil, rather than an authentic self, I questioned. This is a big deal, a big moment, a potential turning-point. Dare I be so bold as to flow with it?

When a bunch of heavy puzzle pieces fall into place, a wave of emotion rushes to every pore as tears of release threaten to flood. The realization of a source that is a cause to so much of life’s difficulties, as I experience it, is profound. Reeling, my brain suddenly feels emptied, and yet, a fog is preventing focus and memory to serve normally through my day. This is some big stuff I uncovered.

It’s interesting: To sit in this experience at this moment, it is simultaneously a pleasing and unpleasant experience. It is full of rich emotions, with below-the-surface remnants of sadness, anger, frustration, and confusion swimming around freely, while a stronger emotion of wonder accompanied by curiosity, has more conscious power, even though it sometimes sees fear. Ready for a big change?

Awareness, now sees the truth as it happens, recognizes the reactions, and the choice to change the old-patterns of reaction to a healthy response living authentically. The exercise of mind, to choose differently, to commit to the process, and to engage actively with that process, will prevail over old-patterns. It’s an interesting fight.

I can see the resistance too. There is a devil in the experience of change that wishes to stay within the security of even the most foul life experiences. It is more afraid of the unknown, than it is of the painful reality it has managed to find some solace within. Even though you and I can sit here and recognize this, we also feel that other sense screaming, “No, this is not the experience of life I signed up for! There is more! Much more!” Pay attention.

Knowing it is one thing. Acting upon it is quite another. Need it be so difficult? We’ll discover more on this as the story and research unfolds.

This word causes so much trouble in this life and world. How can there possibly exist so many truths that lead to so many contradictions?

The Truth is in one place only. It is in each and every precious moment.

• How will you act?
• How will you love?
• How will you forgive?
• How will you live?
• How will you risk?
• How will you give?
• How will you be?

The Truth is in this precious moment. Are you being grateful?

• You cannot expect anything from anyone, only of yourself.
• Forgiveness gives you freedom. Freedom gives you choice.
• Love takes care of Self first to prevent self-destruction.
• Make your right choices, not my right choices.

The Truth is in this precious moment. Its Life is in you.

into the heart
Originally uploaded by silver.and.gold

Came from a conversation:

I have so much to share with you. First, understand that I grew up in a family that didn’t observe religion, faith, or anything other than strict discipline and hard work.

As a young boy of about 8, as my earliest recollection, a sense of wonder caused me to question, “where does it all come from? and is there a God? and what is God?” Of course, these were not answered in my home and a conversation with a school mate had me attend his church the following weekend where the “guy in fancy robes that preached” basically told me to buzz off. That was the end of that questioning period. Although throughout my life this had been a recurring theme.

In my early thirties, some serious searching and devastating life events saw me commit to the christian faith – more out of fear than faith or certainty.

What you describe with the church is very similar to my own. After four years, I was completely drained, and when I left the church I wanted nothing more to do with God, nor to do with any form of spirituality. I simply wanted to “get on with my life!” before it was too late, and I was too old.

But that recurring theme followed me, and as events would have it, God revealed presence through science. Suddenly, a thread of commonality, a key to a cryptic code, tied all religious and spiritual thought forms into a more cohesive whole. This is not to say that there are not some glaringly outdated, outmoded, or simply obsolete statements of belief in all systems. Every system evolves into a more refined system. Does organized religion?

Evolution is fact, as is a force of nature that is beyond comprehension. If we ever gain comprehension of this energy that sustains and creates all life, it will still beg the question if there is some other force acting upon or creating this force. The questions can continue. But suddenly, with this realization, my understanding of God, of Life, of Energy, of Creation, and our relationship to it – AND – in it, finally made sense.

This is the the summary version of what has become of my relationship with God.

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.

Having similar, yet different experiences, I found this enlightening talk to be very informative and affirming toward the concepts, ideas, and inspiration behind much of what I write. I encourage you to visit TED and watch her video. Regrettably, the video has problems being posted in my blog.

Enjoy the ride. Get a mug and relax into the 18 minutes of wonder.

Jill Bolte Taylor Bio

Read Jill Taylor’s Stroke of Insight Transcript
Get Jill Taylor’s book My Stroke of Insight

From the archives May 31, 2006

After a number of years with the Christian church, a decision to leave resulted in a deeper journey to self-discovery and spirit. Initially, this journey wanted nothing further to do with Christianity due to perceived shortcomings within the institution of religion. It is a belief that going deeper into the meaning and context of ‘What is the nature of love’ would expand consciousness to embrace more deeply the intent, nature, and teachings that Jesus offered.

After leaving the church, spiritual issues continued to tease consciousness as I fumbled through our modern culture wondering why – secular and religious communities alike – there appeared to be such a spiritual void in our society today. Further study into other religions provided a better understanding of other beliefs, cultures, and people, along with their origins. Studying quantum theory to a degree offered a better understanding of the science of creation. It is important to remember that science has done much to further substantiate religious teachings in many ways over the centuries. Coming back to review the New Testament, this new information offered a correlation between Jesus’ teachings and how it fits with many values and beliefs.

Reflecting upon scripture, seeking deeper insight, a walk through a natural setting provided a nurturing atmosphere. Asking for further insight to the meaning of the red-letter phrase recorded in a gospel verse, great learning and perspective demonstrated more fully and simply what Jesus attempted to share with a society 2,000 years ago. This is important to realize as well. There would be no way that Jesus could elaborate his knowing to the people of that time in the context that we can achieve today. He was limited by the societal knowledge and context of that era. Farm people, common people, enslaved people, governed people, people with various religious beliefs and gods, Jews steeped in their religious history and socialization, and so on. He had no other choice than to speak their language.

Today, we have access to much more knowledge and language. This allows us to take what Jesus said and ask for further clarification and insight. What more is available? How does this fit within the context of quantum physics research? How does this fit within the context of all religions? Remember an important point here: Jesus did not start the religion Christianity. The religion came hundreds of years later and was entangled with political agendas for that time. Jesus taught Jews, Romans, Samarians, Canaanites, and to anyone with an open heart and ear to listen and eyes to witness. His brand of faith was not in religion, although He used it to help those listening be better able to understand concepts that he spoke. Jesus’ faith was not in religion, it was in God. His faith was not restricted to the Synagogues; it was in the fields, on the roads, by the well, in the courtyard, around a supper table, and so on.

Knowing this to be true has led me to my destination of today – tomorrow’s is yet to be realized. With what I’ve acquired, I’d continue to share new reflections on select verses as the New Testament is revisited. I’m not looking to debate faith – I’m looking to share ideas and create freedom of spirit for many.

In the very beginning, Jesus began preaching a very simple message: “Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near!” This statement early in the four gospels sums up His entire ministry and the entirety of his teachings. Researching a variety of other disciplines, texts, and sciences included words, their meanings, original languages and the nuances of meaning in the social context of the time, and so on.

In relation to the statement, “Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near!” I happened upon another writer’s exposition related to the word sin. A sin is simply the act of going against your self. In its simplest terms, the choice is positive or it is negative and it is personal to you. By and large, we can agree that there are just some things that are not to be done by anyone: Murder, Assault, and Rape. There are equally, or even more so, a large number of things that we cannot agree upon. This is also why judgment has become such a disease within all organized religions, between religions, and between religious and non-religious people worldwide. Judgment is also why Jesus reminds everyone to take the log out of their own eye! More than anything, this calls us to accept differences and recognize value in diversity; also stated in the analogy of the importance a thumb has to the human body, so too do each of us in society!

Let me elucidate the positive and negative issue that is to interpret the word sin. Not to sin is to not go against your self. Follow your gut, your values, your passion, and be true to yourself. This is all positive and even though some of your values go against someone else’s, it doesn’t make you wrong and it does not make your actions sinful. This offers freedom of choice to everyone. Of course, Jesus went further, as did the writer explaining sin, that our emotional intent, towards others and ourselves, is equally important. Saying or doing nasty things that hurt someone else will also hurt you; this is sin. Saying or doing loving things that will uplift yourself and others is not sin. These actions, attitudes, emotions also directly affect your relationship to the mysterious entity known as God.

There is a lot of background that I’m leaving out and I invite you to dig deeper yourself. “Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” This statement has so much to do with what is in our hearts, minds, and subsequent actions. How we perceive the world, how we project onto the world, and how we engage with the world, are all relevant to this phrase. Being Joyful, seeing Beauty in everything, learning to Accept the present moment, Loving your own self, Loving others, and Trusting God; all of these things create the Kingdom of Heaven right here, right now. Going the opposite direction leads to death and misery — to hell. Let me take you a step further to explain what I saw.

“Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it.”

Take a look around you and notice how the majority are living their lives. Notice how many are miserable with their lives, their marriages, their careers, their financial burdens, and their lost dreams. The narrow gate is not outside of you, the narrow gate is you. The wide gate is the world and following the crowd, the flavor of the day, and the want of the hour. The hard road, the narrow road, is the road to discovering more of who you are and what you came into this world to accomplish. Are you an artist? Share your art, be that artist. Are you a businessman? Then be the best businessman you can be. Are you a teacher? Then teach and teach well. In every case, do not neglect your own heart and the heart of God. As hard as it is, in due time it will all come together.

In the context of our modern society, I have an observed correlation to the wide-road. For a number of years I worked as an employment counselor / coach. Continually frustrated by the majority trying to follow the dollar, thinking happiness and satisfaction were there, I witnessed many unfulfilled careers, education, and lives stumble around looking for themselves. The demand for today and tomorrow, the hottest trend, the highest paid occupations, these are not necessarily your path. If I try to pursue that which is not me, then I am uncomfortable, less successful, less fulfilled, often stressed, and even broke, as studies and my own experience repeatedly demonstrate.

You are created in God’s image. You are creative and a creator. So is God. We certainly don’t fit any other image of God that I have witnessed with my own eyes. The closer you are to engaging your creative talents in service to the world, society, spirit, or whatever, the more closely aligned you are and in relationship with God. This, again, means going within – where God speaks quietly to you – and discovering your own truth and finding your narrow gate and path. It’s yours and yours alone. The man-made path is what has created a lot of the problems we experience en masse in society today. Problems in today’s society? Yes!

Godly people know that love is more powerful than force. Godly people know that they have gifts that are to be used. Godly people know that they are to be forgiving, to be less judgmental, to love their neighbor, and to love their enemy. Society also knows these things and knows we are better served to educate, feed, and assist those who are less fortunate, those who are broken, destitute, etc. We — secular, religious, spiritual, everyone — loved Mother Theresa for it! We loved Gandhi for his role in history. We loved Princess Diana too! There are so many who did their best in their small way and made big differences as a result. Why don’t the rest of us?

There are better choices than what family suggests. There are better choices than society suggests. There are better choices than politicians impose. There are better choices than consumerism. There are better choices than fame and fortune. Who knows what your road is to be in life? Who knows where that final destination may lead? The fulfillment in your heart and the impact you have in this world — in positive ways — will be all the riches you need to acquire. You’ll have passion, you’ll experience fulfillment, you’ll develop loving relationships, and you’ll be bringing your truest, brightest light to shine in the world.

Can you see what I mean? Can you see what Jesus meant?

From the archives

Love is the Force behind all of Creation and it is the same driving force that inspires human-beings to pursue. I recall when I was a regular attendee at church and new to the Christian faith that the conversation around God’s Will came up quite often. In transition myself, this was an urgent issue for me at that time. Often, other members would tell me to seek God’s Will for my life and when I asked what that meant I never received an adequate explanation of any kind. Scripture would be quoted, that God had a plan and purpose, be a missionary, be happy in whatever work you do, don’t be too demanding, and a plethora of other sorts of replies.

Since leaving the church, I continued a spiritual journey of sorts – after a lengthy break – that saw me delve into the quantum field to understand more about the nature of the universe and matter. It saw me explore other spiritual teachings and teachers, and finally, it saw me sit within my own being to discover what truths would rise from within. Much of what I have written here and included on my web site are what have arisen from within.

Christians continually come into my daily life, in fact more than one of my clients come from various Christian perspectives and I successfully coach them within the context of their belief system. A dear friend of mine, having a similar path of both spirituality and life’s tragedies has exposed me to other insights into the history of Christianity. For example, around 800A.D. is when the word God came into use as a missionary attempted to convey a name to Germans for God based upon the original names used in the middle-east countries languages. God meaning Good – and more encompassing than that.

The middle-east languages meaning have a wider definition for what God is than what the western world has done with the concept of God. This is all based upon a lecture I heard by a Christian-based scholar and speaker. In Aramaic, the language, culture, education and simplicity of the common people to whom Jesus spoke has a significant and richer meaning than what the scriptures and prayers have come to mean in our western culture. I was fascinated by this particular talk because it really resonated with many of the shifts I had gone through as well.

For example, the Lord’s Prayer, in Aramaic, contains subtle and important differences in meaning, translation, and interpretation from the standard Lord’s Prayer that most Christians might be accustomed to following. Where we use the phrase ‘God’s Will be done,’ the word Will is not how society commonly interprets the definition of Will.

A more accurate translation is God’s Pleasure, or God’s Delight, and could even be as my thoughts provoked, as God’s Desire. In this context it becomes clear that the sense of the meaning is to do what brings God Joy. Within this context, and confirmed within the content of this lecture, God’s Will is to see us in a state of Love and functioning from a state of Love. So here’s a statement to help anyone who is wondering about God’s Will for their life:

His delight is the expression of Love manifested in you, in your actions, in your relationships, and in the creative passion that you shine forth in service to all of the world and existence.

As I completed capturing these thoughts on paper at the lecture, it also dawned on me that the meaning of life becomes apparent: Love.

Visit One Man Can

Let’s talk about God, baby.
It’s all about You and Me.
There’s always more to see.

God is simply a word of convenience. I use it regularly for that simple purpose. Unfortunately, the word literally robs the fullest extent of possibilities. How can a word have so much power as to steal away the magnitude of what it represents?

Propaganda, egoism, war, religion, culture, politics, greed, corruption, power, fame, and I’m sure a host of other human sins could easily be that trigger. So much has been done… In the name of God… ignoring the vast nature of whom they took for granted. And God didn’t care. I’m sorry if this seems offensive.

I’ve found that something of this magnitude which represents so much more than just a human being on one planet in an entire Universe — and then maybe more — could not possibly be concerned with having to care for a system of Life that functions exactly as it should. In other words, things work exactly how they are supposed to work.

God, Life, Creator, Source, Universe, Existence, Light, Love, Energy, Allah, and I suspect some others, all lead to and refer to the same thing. A mystical force, unseen by the naked eye, often times felt and experienced in a way that is very personal and internal, that transcends and is spoken about in all corners of the world, all cultures, all languages, and has done so since the beginning of time.

What is it? An experience of something far bigger than we are, that creates and gives life, that we are a part of, and that there is still so much more mystery (knowledge) to gain, explore, and acquire before we may ever come close to having a definitive answer. And even then, I’m sure it could be challenged.

It is not a creature of feeling in the way you and I are; it is far bigger than that and encompasses that life-force-energy that drives our sexual and creative urges at their highest peaks, and most likely it experiences / delivers / creates / something, of that force on its’ own accord every second of our up-and-down experience. How?

The simplest answer, the easiest to untangle, is to broaden the concept in our own mind and sum it up with simple words that represent so much in our understanding and experience. Everything that is good, from our experience, represents a fraction of insignificance, in relation to the enormous nature of that entity, easily represented by Existence and/or Universe. Exactness, at that magnitude, doesn’t require precision for our mind to grasp.

Rather than disputing this, I say embrace this common, tribal root level worldwide belief, or better yet, understanding. To help keep the mind open, try not to make it any more difficult to explain than the experience of the wind. To not yet be able to see it, other than through its’ force. However, if it be force, recognize that mysterious force that always sustains and guides life.

Isn’t there something mystical about it?

By the way, my recent experiences suggest this is in some fashion true. In particular, overcoming the quibbling nature of what the differences are that have been dividing everyone for so long, I let science open a way of integrating this idea. This allowed me to accept more, experience more gratitude, see more opportunity, ride the challenging waves, and so much more. The weirder part is how much more exact, and almost perfect everything seems to be. It’s just weird, okay?

Just some thoughts….. nothing hard and fast.

Lee